Device for preparing a weft



May 13, 1969 H. P. VAN MULLEKOM 3,443,603

- DEVICE FOR PREPARING A WEFT Filed July 24, 1967 Sheet y 1969 H. P. VANMULLEKOM 3,443,603

DEVICE FOR PREPARING A WEF'I Filed July 24, 1967 Sheet Z 002 UnitedStates Patent 3,443,603 DEVICE FOR PREPARING A WEFT Hubert P. vanMullekom, Deurne, Noord-Brabaut,

Netherlands, assiguor to N. V. Machinenfabriek L.

Te Strake, Deurne, Netherlands, a Dutch company Filed July 24, 1967,Ser. No. 655.403 Claims priority, application Netherlands, July 27,1966, 6610605 Int. Cl. D03d 47/00 U.S. Cl. 139-127 5 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE This device is used in conjunction with a loom to preparea weft. It comprises apparatus for drawing a thread from a threadpackage, including a shaft for temporarily storing a measured length ofthe thread which comprises a plurality of compartments each adapted toreceive a portion of the thread. The compartments have adjacententrances through which the thread is received, and a thread-guide ismovably mounted in front of the entrances of the compartments forpresenting the thread successively to the compartments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a device forpreparing a weft, to be used in conjunction with a loom, comprising adevice for drawing a thread from a stationary thread package, whichdevice is provided with a shaft for temporarily storing a measuredlength of the thread drawn from the thread package.

Such devices are known and in general a shaft is used in a stream of airis to be created in order to take up a loop of thread to be storedwithin the shaft, whereas the thread after being stored within thisshaft is to be presented to a weft inserting apparatus.

When a weft is to be woven into the fabric in a hairpinshaped form, asknown per se, firstly a part of the weft of definite length is to beinserted into the shed and further is to be beaten into the fabric andafter the shed has been changed, at a definite time in accordance withthe structure of the fabric a remaining part of the weft, which has beentemporarily stored outside of the shed is to be inserted into the shedand further to be beaten into the fabric by the reed.

Special measures must be taken in order to prepare a weft and in a knowndevice the shaft for temporarily storing a measured length of the threadmoves from a position in which the loop is taken up by the shaft to aposition in which the thread can leave the shaft in order to be insertedinto the shed. Further the shaft moves again to its original position inorder to take up a second part of the thread, which is thereafter to beinserted into the shed.

The preparing of the weft is not only necessary in order to obtain therequired length of the weft, when eg a thread is to be launched by jetaction of a fluid into the shed, but is also advisable in order toarrange the weft to be inserted in such a position that the weft can belaunched into the shed with a very high initial speed. Such arrangementof the thread is advantageous when the loom has a very high productionspeed and the risk of tearing apart the thread as a result of theinitial speed will be decreased. The possibility of tearing apart thethread is very great in looms having a gripper shuttle for the weftinsertion, because the gripper shuttle which picks up the thread has avery high initial speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to provide asimple de- 3,443,603 Patented May 13, 1969 vice for preparing a weft andfurther to adapt the device in such a manner, that the weft is situatedin the fabric in the shape of a hairpin.

According to the invention this is attained in that the shaft consistsin at least two compartments for taking up a measured length of thethread, whereas a thread guide or thread presenting device is movable infront of the entrance of the shaft in such a manner, that a thread to besupplied to the shaft first is presented to one compartment and furtherto another compartment of the shaft. When using a device according tothe invention it is possible to increase the production speed of a loombecause the preparing of one part of the weft can be done during thelaunching of insertion of another part of the weft at one side of theshed.

A similar device can be positioned at the other side of the shed so thatat both sides of the shed a weft can be prepared and a part of the weftcan be launched at the same time.

A practical embodiment of the invention is attained in that athreaded-clamp is situated in the path of the thread leaving the threadguide or presenting device, which thread-clamp is positioned in a planebetween both compartments of the shaft whereas the thread-clamp issynchronously operated with the driving of the movable thread-guide andthe thread-clamp will be closed when the thread-guide moves from theentrance of one compartment of the shaft to the entrance of the othercompartment of the shaft.

Preferably the thread-guide or presenting device is a tube through whichthe thread runs and which tube can make a to and fro movement betweentwo end positions in a direction parallel to the axis of the tube.

In order to obtain a sufficient passage for the thread during theoperation of the Weft insertion without the thread to be inserted beinghindered by the thread-guide, the device according to the invention ismade in such a manner that the thread-guide at one end is provided witha part which is deviated from that part which runs in front of thecompartments of the shaft in its axial direction and the tube-shapedthread-guide makes an angular thread-guide.

Preferably the thread-guide moves between two threadclamps which arecontrolled with respect to each other in such a manner that onethread-clamp will be opened when the other thread-clamp is closed.Preferably the movements of the thread-clamps overlap each other owingto which during a short period of time both thread-clamps are closed.

Preferably an air-stream will be used in a device according to theinvention by which air-stream the thread is brought into the shaft and adevice according to the invention is constructed in such a manner thatboth separate compartments of the shaft are provided with means forcreating an air-stream in the longitudinal direction of eachcompartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a partof a device for preparing a weft according to the invention in whichview a part of the device is broken away in order to show the interiorof the device.

FIGS. 2-9 are diagrammatic horizontal sectional views of the deviceshown in FIG. 1 in which the successive steps of preparing a weft areindicated, and in which for clarity of illustration only so much of thestructure is shown as is necessary to indicate the various positions ofthe moving parts.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary transverse section of the device on an enlargedscale.

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT When a weft is to be woveninto a fabric in a hairpinlike shape in order to obtain a selvage,firstly a first part of a length of a thread is to be launched whichpart will be called the A-part of the thread. When the shed has changed,at a definite time a second part of the thread is to be launched intothe shed, which second part will be called the B-part of the thread. TheA-part and the B-part of the thread are integral with each other and thebight between the A-part and the B-part forms the selvage of the fabric.

In the device for preparing a weft a thread 1 is drawn from a stationarythread package 3 by means of continuously rotating rollers 2. Furtherthe thread runs to a device for preparing a weft, which device isgenerally indicated by the reference numeral 4. The thread runs from thedevice 4 for preparing the weft to the weft insertion device which isgenerally indicated by the reference numeral 5. When the device forpreparing a weft is mounted on a loom in which the weft is to beinserted into the shed by jet action of a fluid, the weft insertingdevice can be shaped as a jet nozzle. The weft inserting device 5 can bereplaced by a lay when the loom is provided with a gripper shuttle,which shuttles are also generally known.

The device for preparing a weft 4 comprises a shaft for temporarilystoring a measured length of a thread. The shaft comprises two separatecompartments 6a and 6b. The compartments 6a and 6b debouch into achamber 7 which is shaped as an adapter between the shaft and the weftinserting device 5. The compartments 6a and 6b of the shaft are thuseach provided with an entrance into the chamber 7. Means are provided tocreate a stream of air in the longitudinal direction of the compartments6a and 6b in order to be able to draw a thread in the shape of a loopwithin each of those compartments. In which manner such a stream of airis created will not be described because such means are generally knownand are described in US. Patents Nos. 3,024,814 and 3,367,371. Forinstance jet nozzles can be provided in a wall of each compartment orthe end of each compartment can be connected to a suction device. Inaccordance with the latter construction the end of each of thecompartments 6a and 6b is provided with valve 8a or 8b respectively(FIG. 2) for interrupting the stream of air.

Although the shape of the compartments 6:: and 6b of the shaft is notcritical, preferably each of the compartments is dumbbell-shaped intransverse cross section, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, so as to providean enlarged and rounded channel along each lateral edge of thecompartment to receive one side of the loop of thread.

Another shape of the compartments 6n and 6b can be used also when e.g.the thread is drawn into the compartments by mechanical means, as knownper se.

A thread-guide 9 in the shape of a tube is movable axially through anopening provided in the side of the chamber 7 so that it moves in frontof the entrances of the compartments 6a and 6b. A thread -1 is arrangedwithin the tube-shaped thread-guide 9 as shown in FIG. 1. The end of thethread-guide 9 which moves in front of the compartments 6a. and 6b isbent at 10.

The thread-guide 9 reciprocates between two end positions and is drivenby means of a lever 11 which is controlled by a cam (not shown). One endposition of the thread-guide 9 is shown in FIG. 3 and another endposition of the thread-guide is shown in FIG. 6. An angular displacementcan be given to the thread-guide 9 by means of a pushing rod 12 and anarm 13 for a purpose which will be described.

A thread-clamp 14 is positioned in a vertical semicylindrical recess 7awhich is provided in the vertical rear wall 711 of the chamber 7,between the compartments 6a and 6b. The movable upper part of thethread-clamp 14 consists of a rod which extends through an aperture inthe upper side of the device 4 and is actuated by means of a lever 15,and the fixed part of the thread-clamp 14 consists of a short rod fixedin the lower end of the semi-cylindrical recess 7a. The lever 15 isactuated by a cam (not shown) on the camshaft which also actuates thelever 11 and the pushing rod 12. The controlling of the thread-clamp 14thus will be synchronized with the controlling of the thread-guide 9.Further a second thread-clamp 16 is situated in the chamber 7 whichthread-clamp is actuated by means of a lever 17. Further thethread-clamp 16 is provided with knife-edges 18 which are arranged insuch a manner that when a thread is clamped by the thread-clamp 16 thethread will be cut. The operation of the threadelamp '16 having theknife-edges 18 will be explained hereinafter.

Presenting needles 19a and 19b cooperate with the compartments 6a and611 respectively, which presenting needles enter the chamber 7 throughopenings 20 above the entrances of the compartments 6:; and 6b, in orderto push a thread which is situated in front of the entrances of thecompartments toward the weft inserting device 5. The operation of suchneedles in front of the entrance of a shaft for temporarily storing ameasured length of a thread is already known and is described in US.Patent No. 3,367,371. Each needle 19a, 19b is mounted in a slide 21,which is movable in a guide 22. Only the slide 21 and the guide 22 forthe needle 19b have been indicated in FIG. 1 and a similar slide andguide are provided for the needle 19a. The slide 21 is driven by meansof a lever 23, which lever is controlled by a cam-shaft, which can bethe same cam-shaft which drives the other movable members mentionedbefore. By a correct shaping of the cams and by their position withrespect to each other as far as it concerns their angle of phase,properly synchronized operation of the members mentioned above withrespect to each other can be obtained, and the driving of these memberswill not be described because driving movable members is generallyknown.

Having now described the members of the device the operation of themembers with respect to each other will be described in order toillustrate the operation of the device for preparing a weft.

Referring now to FIG. 2 in which the members are diagrammatically shown,it is assumed that the end of a thread has already been positioned inthe thread-clamp 16. The thread-guide 9 has been brought by the actionof the arm 13 and the pushing road 12 into such a position that thethread leaving the deflected part 10 extends toward the weft insertingdevice 5. The thread-guide moves now in the direction of the arrow A andsimultaneously the thread-guide is angularly displaced around itslongitudinal axis owing to which the thread leaving the deflected part10 of the thread-guide 9 is presented to the entrance of the compartment6a which forms part of the shaft for temporarily storing the thread.Further the thread-guide comes into its end-position which is shown inFIG. 3. Further the thread-guide then moves in the direction of thearrow B (FIG. 4). When now the threadguide 9 moves from its positionaccording to FIG. 3 to its position as shown in FIG. 4 a valve 8a forproducing a stream of air within the compartment 6a of the shaft isopened. In order to crease a stream of air for instance the end ofcompartment 6a in which the valve 8a has been situated is connected to asuction device. By the stream of air created in the compartment 6a thethread leaving the thread-guid 9 and its deflected part 10 will be drawnwithin the compartment (in. When the threadguide begins to move from theposition shown in FIG. 3 toward the position shown in FIG. 4, the threadI extending between the thread-guide 9 and the thread-clamp 16 isentrained by the stream of air entering the compartment 6a and is thusformed into a loop which is pulled into the entrance of the compartment6a by the air stream.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the lower, fixed portion of the thread-clamp16 is elevated, so that the thread which is seen in plan view in FIG. 3slopes downward slightly from the thread-clamp 16 to the thread-guide 9.The slope of the portion of the thread 1 shown in FIG. 3 is such that asthis portion of the thread is drawn into a loop by the air streamentering the compartment 6a, the loop which is just beginning to formenters a Z-shaped notch 24 which is provided in the upper wall adjacentthe entrance of the compartment 6a. After the loop of thread has enteredthis notch 24, the end of the loop which extends from the clamp 16remains caught in the notch, and thereafter the thread extends from theclamp 16 through the notch 24 and then into the compartment 6a.

As the thread-guide 9 continues to move in the direction of the arrow Bas shown in FIG. 4, the thread-guide 9 passes under the thread thatstretches from the thread clamp 16 to the notch 24. As the thread-guide9 reaches the position shown in FIG. 4, the continuous rotation of therollers 2 permits the air stream entering the compartment 6a to continueto draw thread through the threadguide 9, as shown in FIG. 5.

Since the thread-guide 9 is at a somewhat lower level than the notch 24,the leg of the loop 1a which extends from the thread-guide 9 is at asome what lower level than the thread which extends from thethread-clamp 16. Thus only the leg of the loop which extends from thethread-clamp 16 is caught in the notch 24, which the leg that extendsfrom the thread-guide 9 passes below the notch 24 and is not caught inthe notch. The length of the loop 1a is limited by the action of therollers 2 (FIG. 1). Further the thread-guide 9 moves in the direction ofthe arrow B and comes in front of the entrance of the compartment 6b ofthe shaft. The thread leaving the thread-guide 9 then extends from thethread-guide 9 between the entrance of the compartment 6b and theentrance of the compartment 6a. Then as the loop In continues to bedrawn into the compartment 6a by the air stream, the thread stretchesfrom the bent end of the thread-guide 9 across the semi-cylindricalrecess 7a and into the compartment 6a. The thread which extends acrossthe semi-cylindrical recess 7a thus comes under the movable upperportion of the thread-clamp 14 which is closed immediately after thedeflected part 10 of the thread-guide has passed the thread-clamp 14.This satuation has been shown in FIG. 6.

As appears from FIG. 6, a loop 1a of the thread remains in thecompartment 6a. The length of the thread of the loop 1a is limited,because the thread is clamped in the thread clamps 14 and 16. Thethread-guide 9 has been moved between the thread-clamps 14 and 16. Thethread 1a remaining in the compartment 6a is ready to be launched andthe valve 8a is closed. The presenting needle 19a moves out of theopening 20 and engages the part 1b of the thread, which runs from thethread-clamp 16 to the notch 24 and is directly in the path of thepresenting needle 19a, so that the part 1b of the thread is engaged bythe presenting needle 19a as shown in FIG. 7. Further the thread-clamp16 is released and the thread is inserted into the shed when the weftinserting device 5 becomes operative. Preferably the weft insertingdevice 5 is a jet nozzle and the thread is launched by the action of ajet of air under pressure. Compressed air to produce the air jet may besupplied to the weft inserting device 5 through a normally closed valve5a which is opened whenever its stem 5b is depressed by a lever 50. Thelever 50 may be operated by means of a. cam on the cam shaft whichcontrols the other moving parts of the device.

The operation of the weft inserting device 5 is no part of the inventionand will not be described because such devices are generally known. Whenthe part 1b of the thread is presented to the weft inserting device 5 aloop of the thread is being formed in the compartment 6b, which loop isindicated by the reference numeral 10. This situation is shown in FIG.7. The formation of the loop 10 in the compartment 6b of the shaft ispossible because the thread-guide 9 moves in front of the entrance ofthe compartment 6b as has been described with reference to FIG. 6. Oneend of the loop 10 is clamped by the thread-clamp 14 whereas the threadcan still run through the thread-guide 9, which thread is furthersupplied by the action of the rollers 2. The formation of the loop inthe thread is executed by a stream of air, which is sucked into thecompartment 6b, because the valve 8b opens, and when the valve 8b opensthe compartment 6b is connected to a suction device.

After the part 1b of the thread is presented to the weft insertingdevice 5 by the action of the presenting needle 19a the presentingneedle 19a is retracted in the opening 20 and the part 1a of the threadis drawn out of the compartment 6a by the action of the weft insertingdevice. The thread-clamp 16 remains released during this operation. Thepart 1a of the thread and the needle 19a pass above the thread-guide 9.The end of part 1a of the thread runs from the weft inserting device 5to the threadclamp 14 as shown in FIG. 8. When the thread guide 9 leavesits end position as indicated in FIG. 9 the threadguide 9 is angularlydisplaced so that the deviated part 10 is again directed toward the weftinserting device 5. Further the thread-guide 9 moves back in an axialdirection as indicated by the arrow A. When the thread-guide 9 movesback in an axial direction and is simultaneously displaced angularly asindicated by the arrow in FIG. 8, the angular displacement of the bentportion 10 of the thread-guide lifts the thread so that as thethread-guide 9 moves axially the thread becomes caught in the notch 25as indicated in FIG. 9. The notch 25 is similar to the notch 24, and theV of each notch points toward the middle of the shaft 4. After thethread becomes caught in the notch 25, a portion 1d of the threadextends from the notch 25 to the thread-guide 9.

At this time the thread-clamp 14 is still closed, and the portion 1a ofthe thread which has been inserted into the frabric extends undertension from the thread-clamp 14 to the fabric as indicated in FIG. 9.During the axial movement of the thread-guide 9, as the bent portion 10of the thread-guide approaches the thread-clamp 16, angular displacementof the thread-guide 9 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3begins, so that the bent portion 10 of the thread-guide 9 passes justabove the fixed lower portion of the thread-clamp 16. When the bentportion 10 of the thread-guide 9 has just passed above the fixed lowerportion of the thread-clamp 16, the portion 1d of the thread leaving thethread-guide extends from the bent end 10 of the thread-guide 9immediately above the fixed lower portion of the thread-clamp 16. Atthis instant the thread-clamp 16 closes upon the portion 1a! of thethread, thus cutting the thread but leaving both out ends of the threadclamped in the thread-clamp 16. The loop 1c in the compartment 6b of theshaft is maintained because the thread will remain caught in the notch25 (FIG. 1) at the entrance of the compartment 6b, and the portion 1d ofthe thread extends from the notch 25 to the thread-clamp 16. When thethread-clamp 16 is closed the thread will be cut in such a manner thatthe cut end of the portion 1d of the thread will remain in thethread-clamp. The other cut end of the thread, which runs to thethread-guide 9, is also clamped by the thread-clamp 16 in spite of thefact that the thread has been cut. The part 1a of the thread, whichextends under tension from the fabric through the weft inserting device5 to the thread-clamp 14, remains at one side of the thread-clamp 16, asindicated in FIG. 2, owing to which this part 1a of the thread can notbe clamped by the thread-clamp 16.

After the end of the portion 1d of the thread is clamped by thethread-clamp 16 the presenting needle 19b will become operative asindicated in FIG. 3 and will project out of the opening 20 at theentrance of the compartment 6b. A notch at the point of the presentingneedle 19b comes in contact with the part 1d of the thread, which partextends from the thread-clamp 16 to the notch 25' and is in the path ofmovement of the presenting needle 1%. When the notch in the point of thepresenting needle 19b engages in the part 1d of the thread, as indicatedin FIG. 3, that part of the thread will be pushed into the weftinserting device 5. During this operation the valve 5a is opened tocreate a jet of air which entrains the portion 1a of the thread andlaunches it into the weft. At this time the valve 8b is closed and nostream of air is present in the compartment 6b of the shaft.

The clamping action of the thread-clamp 16 is such that the end 1d ofthe thread is pulled out of the threadclamp by the force which isexerted on the thread by the action of the presenting needle 1%, withoutdisturbing the other cut end of the thread which remains clamped in thethread-clamp 16 on the right side of the cutting edges 18 as seen inFIG. 10. Further, the weft inserting device 5 will be operative and thepart 10 of the thread which remains in the compartment 6b will be drawnout of this compartment as indicated in FIG. 4. As the part 10 of thethread leaves the compartment 612, the thread-clamp 14 is opened.

Referring again to FIG. 2 it will be understood that no thread ispresent in the compartment 6b when a new thread is to be inserted intothe device for preparing a weft. In this case the end of the threadleaving the thread guide 9 is inserted in the thread-clamp 16 by hand.Means are provided for inserting the new thread in the thread-clamp byhand, however such means form no subject matter of the invention andwill not be described. After the arrangement of the thread by hand thedevice according to the invention will start its operation as describedbefore.

When a device according to the invention is situated at each side of theshed in a loom and a thread from the compartment 6a has been insertedinto the shed as described, which part is called an A-thread, weft canbe inserted into the shed from the other side before the part 1c of thethread, which is called a B-thread is inserted into the shed.

The A-thread and the B-thread form the legs of a weft, which is woven inthe shape of a hairpin.

When using a device according to the invention the production speed of aloom can be considerably increased.

Having now described and ascertained my invention what I claim is:

1. A device for use in conjunction with a loom to prepare a weft,comprising apparatus for drawing a thread package, which apparatusincludes a shaft for temporarily storing a measured length of thethread, characterized in that the shaft comprises a plurality ofcompartments each adapted to receive a measured length of the thread,said compartments having adjacent entrances through which the thread isreceived, and a thread-guide being movably mounted in front of theentrances of the compartments for presenting the thread successively tothe compartments.

2. A device according to claim 1 comprising a threadclamp locatedbetween the entrances of two adjacent compartments, in the path ofthread leaving the movable thread-guide, and driving mechanism whichoperates the thread clamp and moves the thread-guide, and which closesthe thread-clamp on the thread as the thread-guide moves between theentrances of said two adjacent compartments.

3. A device according to claim 2 comprising a second thread-clamplocated in the path of thread leaving the movable thread guide, andmechanism for closing the second thread-clamp on the thread after themovable thread-guide has moved past the entrances of both of the twoadjacent compartments.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the threadguide is in the formof a tube through which the thread runs, and which is axiallyreciprocable.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein the tubular thread-guide isbent adjacent to one end and is provided with mechanism for displacingit angularly about its axis at one end of its reciprocatory movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,024,814 3/1962 Te Strake.

HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner.

